Counter train



A. C. WOOD.

COUNTER TRAIN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1920.

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COUNTER TRAIN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1920.

Patented June 6, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- P50622257? oindrew 6. ZflaocZ WWW L7 m Q W NMQN UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

ANDREW 0. W001), or CHICAGO, rumors, ASSIGNOR T0 STEWART-WARNER, srnnnomnrnn CORPORATION, 01? cmcae ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or VIRGINIA.

' COUNTER TRAIN.

To all w ham it may 0on0 ,rm:

' Be it known that I, i rbnnw C. WOOD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the cit of Chicago, in the county of Cook and the tate of Illinois, have invented cer-- tain new and useful Improvements in Counter Trains, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction of a counter-train for indicating shaft revolutions or miles traveledor the like, by the trip and also continuously or by the season. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated inthe claims. I

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical axial section of an instrument embodying this invention.

Figure 2 isa similar section axial with respect to the main operating shaft, showing the parts in a different position from that of Figure 1.

Figure 3 1s a section at the line 3- 3 on Figure 1.

Figure 4 1s a section at the line 4-4 on 4 Figure 1.

Figure 5 1s a section at the same plane as Figure 4, showing the pinion, 64,in the act of tripping its contingent dial and the yielding of the spring, 65, accordingly.

Figure 6 is a section at the same plane as Figure 4, showing the parts in a different position with certain of the wheels partly broken away.

Figure 7 is an elevation of a mutilated gear concernedin the carrying position.

Figure 8 is a section at the line 8-8 on Figure 1.

Figure 9"is a section at the line 9-9 on Figure 1. k, Figure 10 is a section at the line 10-10 on Figure 1. l

Figure 11 is a section at the line 11-11 on Fi re1; v I 1, igure 12 is'a section at the line 12-12 on Figure 1.

Figure 13 is a section at either of the lines, 13, 13," on Figure 2. 4

The structure shown in the drawings consists of aframe or standard for the counter dials, comprising right and left hand brack- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11119 6 1922. Application filed January 24, 1920. Serial 110.353,?70.

larly described.

The continuous train dials, 50, are mounted on an axle or fixed shaft, 1,, which is supported rigidly by the left hand bracket, 30.

ald shaft, 1, is coaxial with the rotating shaft, 2, on which the trip train dials, 60, are carried, and the shafts, 1 and 2, are telescoped with each other for journaling the trip train shaft, 2, on the shaft, 1. As shown the trip train shaft, 2, telescopes in an axial bore l in the right hand end of the fixed shaft, 1, and a coil s ring, 3, in said bore reacts for extendin t e total shaft length. that is, thrusting the-shaft, 2, to the right to a limit which is determined by the trip resetting shaft, 26, as hereinafter described. This out-thrust position of the trip shaft, 2, is hereinafter referred to as the normal or running position of that shaft, since it is the position of operation in indicating travel mileage, the in-thrust position, which may be given to the shaft as hereinafter described, being the exceptional position for resetting, and hereinafter referred to as the resetting position. v

The immediate driving gear, 6, which is driven by any suitable train, represented by the gears, 7 and 8, journaled on a shaft, 55,

hereinafter described supported in the center seen in Fi ure 8, having one end hooked into the hu and the other end hooked at 13 to enter through a notch, 6, in the hub, for engaging the ratchet disc. The chamber, 6 is of suflicient de th to ermit the ratchet disc to ret eat or ,.e with rawn into it from the normal position of the disc seen in Figure 1, to the extent of the full thickness of the disc, and thereby the disc becomes disengaged from the spring key or pawl as and for the purpose hereinafter more particularly explained.

The hub, 6 and the continuous dials, 50, mounted for rotation on the fixed shaft, 1, have each at the side toward the next following dial a continuously toothed or un mutilated gear, 51, these teeth being in number a multiple of ten, and at the side toward the next preceding dial said dials have each a mutilated gear, 52, and a delay or locking disc, 53. The mutilated gear has teeth at one-tenth of its circumference, that is onetenth as many as the gear, 51, and the delay or locking disc is correspondingly cut away at 53. Ateach conjunction of preceding and succeeding dials a pinion, 54, is provided journaled on a shaft,55, parallel to the shafts, 1 and 2, extending from bracket, 30, to bracket, 40. The pinion is actuated by the two teeth,that is, by the toothed one-tenth periphery of the gear, 52, and is thereby rotated throughout onetenth of each revolution of said gear, 52, and rotates the succeeding gear, 51, and its dial through one-tenth of a revolution for each full revolution of the preceding gear, 52, and dial. This effects the carrying from column to column. The pinions are held locked against rotation in the intervals be tween their successive engagements by the mutilated gear, 52, b the co-operating'pe riphery of the delay isc, 53, and delay segments, 52, of the pinion hub laterally adjacent to the toothed periphery thereof, in a manner well understood and requiring no particular description.

The trip train shaft, 2, actuated as described by the pawl ratchet connection with the driving gear, 6, is engaged with the initial or decimal dial, 60, of the trip train by a key, 61, which engages a key seat, 2, which extends along the entire length of said shaft, except as interruped by reductions in the diameter of the shaft to the 'depth of said key seatat certain points,

2 as and for the purpose hereinafter described.

Each of the dials of the trip train has rigid with it at the side toward the next particularly described, a pinion, 64:, meshing with said gears, 51 and 52, transmitting to the latter one-tenth of a revolution for at proper points in its length the areas of reduced diameter, 2", above mentioned, at which, as stated, the diameter of the shaft is reduced to the depth of the key seat, 2, with which, except at such areas of reduced diameter the dials, 60, are engaged by means of spring keys, 67, hereinafter further mentioned. I

The trip train may be reset to zero on all dials by a single revolution of the re setting spindle, this may be caused manually by means of the resetting spindle, 26, rotating the gear, 24;, thereon and meshing with the gear, 25, feathered on the shaft, 2. For this purpose the shaft, 2, must be thrust out of engagement with the driving gear, 6, and the dial wheels of the trip train must be positionedfor engaging with the shaft, 2. This is effected by first withdrawing the spindle, 26, by means of the knob handle, 26 which causes the conical cam, 26, on said spindle to urge the shaft, 2, longitudinally to the left. One wall of the channel forming the key seat, 2, is cut away at least at the points at which spring keys, 67, with which each of the dials or number wheels 60, is provided will stand when the shaft has been thrust forward by the cam 26, as described, and thereby the engagement of the spring keys with the shaft is efiected ratchet-wise in rotation with the shaft in one direction; and rotation of the dial wheels in the same direction, can occurwithout rotating the shaft, or in spite of the rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction. The shaft, 2, in being thrust forward to the position shown in Figure 2, causes the ends of the spring keys or pawls, 67, which at the normal or running position of said shaft stand at the reduced areas, 2 of.the shaft and permit the dial wheels to revolve freely on the shaft, to ride up on the inclined shoulders, 2 and lodge on the circumference of the unreduced portion of the shaft.

Then as the operator turns the shaft, rotating the spindle, 26, in clock-wise direction, the shaft key seat will pick up the spring keys and engage the dials or number wheels as said keys are successively overtaken by the abrupt shoulder of the key seat as the shaft rotates; and all the dials being thus picked up in one revolution of the shaft, will be rotated together. The keys are all located alike with respect to the zero marks The thrusting of the shaft, 2, forward as described by the cam, 26, carries the spring pawlor key 13, of the driving gear out of engagement with the ratchet disc, 12, and into the bottom of the pocket or chamber in the right hand side of the hub, 6; and

thereby the shaft is disengaged from the driving gear wheel while it is being manually operated for resetting to zero as described.

If it is desired to set the dials in the trip train fromany point to an advanced or higher reading, it may be done by rotatingthe spindle, 26, at its normal position in anticlockwise direction. This will cause the dial gears to operate in the same manner as when the shaft is rotated by the. driving gear, that is, each actuating the next higher one for carrying, as already described.

If it is desired to reverse the trip train from a higher reading to a. lower, one and not to zero, the reset spindle, 26, will be withdrawn to causethe cam, 26 to thrust forward the shaft 2, as already described, and the spindle will be then rotated in the reverse of clock-wise direction, with the effeet of causing the dial gears each to actuate the next succeeding dial in the regular manner of the running of the train, but in the reverse direction; and in this action the spring pawls of the several dial wheels after the first or decimal dial,.riding idly'back over the abrupt shoulders of the key seat, per- .mit the dials to be revolved by the pinions engaging their gears respectively, regardless of the rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction.

It will be readily understood that when rotating all the dials together by the manual drive connection from the spindle, 26, and

picking up the gearsof the several dials at the point at which they happen to stand, as

above'described, for resetting all the-dials to zero by one movement, the pinions, 64:, will be rotated by their continuous engagement with the gears, 51; and as the teeth of the adjacent mutilated gears, 52, come around to the pinions, respectively, said teeth are liable to arrive out of registration with the teeth of the adjacent gear, 51, and may standas shown in Figure 6, aligned with the intervals between the teeth of said gear, 51, instead of with the teeth themselves. And in such event, unless the pinions could yield out of mesh with the gears respectively, the resetting movement would be blocked. To prevent such a result, the brackets, 62, which carry the pinions are mounted as shown for yielding to carry the pinions out of mesh.

of dials or number wheels and gears connect- ,Jing them for carrying; means for rotating all the dials together in reverse direction,

comprising means for picking them all' up by the rotating means at the same points in their respective number series, gear trans missions from dial to dial comprising intermediate gear elements liable to mis-meshing in their reverse rotation, tending to their disengagement; parts on whiEh said intermediate gear elements are carried, mounted for movement to carry said intermediate elements outof, mesh, and springs constituting the sole means of holding them in their meshing position; whereby disengagement of said gears is caused automatically in the reverse rotation upon the occurrence of mismeshing.

2. In a counter train comprising a succession of dials or number wheels and gears connecting them for carrying; rotating means comprising a central shaft on which the several number wheels or dials are mounted, the initial dial or number wheel being engaged with said shaft for rotation thereby in all positions of the shaft; said shaft having a longitudinal key seat cut away at one side to constitute a single ratchet tooth at each of the planes of the subsequent number wheels respectively; spring keys or pawls by which said number wheels, respectively, are engaged with said key seat or ratchet tooth at a certain longitudinal positioned position, and means for displacing it 7 from said normal position and for rotating v it, when thus displaced.

3. "In a counter train comprising a succession of dials or number wheels and gears connecting them for carrying; rotatin means-comprising a central shaft on whic all the dials are mounted, said shaft be ing journaled for limited longitudinal movement, the dials subsequent to the first having pawl and ratchet means for engagement with the shaft disengaged therefrom at normal position of the shaft, the shaft havmovement engages the pawls of the pawl and ratchet connections mentioned, for efi'ecting driving engagements between the shaft and said subsequent dials.

ing a key seat which in said longitudinal 4. A counter train comprising a central shaft having a longitudinal key seat; dial wheels on said shaft side by side; gears in pairs on the proximate sides of the consecutive dial wheels and connected with them respectively for rotation of the dial wheel and the gear together, the left hand gear of each pair being continuously toothed, and the right hand gear of each pair being without teeth throughout .nine tenths of its circumference, and having teeth projecting at the other tenth; a pinion for each pair of adjacent gears meshing with both gears of the pair for giving the second gear of the pair one-tenth of a revolution for each full revolution of the preceding dial wheel, the initial dial wheel being engaged with the key seat of the shaft for rotation in either direction; subsequent dials having each a pawl device for engagement with the key seat, one side of the key seat being cut away to make said engagement of the pawls ratchet-wise; said shaft being reduced in diameterto the depth of the key seat at the normal position of the pawls of said subsequent dials; means for moving the shaft longitudinally to displace said reduced portion from the planes of said pawls of the subsequent dials, and means for manual rotation of the shaft at said displaced position thereof.

5. In the construction defined in the last claim foregoing, mounts for the pinions sup ported for yielding to pressure forcing the bearings 0f the pinions away from the shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 21 day of January, 1920. c

ANDREW C. WOOD. 

